Throwing back to the week of January 18, 1975, gives us the very first appearance of Barry Manilow on the blog. His ‘Mandy’ topped the Hot 100 that week, becoming the first #1 of his career.
Manilow would top the chart two more times over the ensuing two years, and he added another eight top 10 hits, the last one coming in 1980. He belonged to the 70s.
‘Mandy’ is a cover of a Scott English song titled ‘Brandy.’ Music exec Clive Davis suggested Manilow perform the song, but with a new title to avoid confusion with Looking Glass’s ‘Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl),’ which was a #1 hit a couple of years earlier.
Manilow’s version clips the fourth verse, turning it into a bridge, a change that (along with the song’s poppier sound) made English unhappy. He came around after the song’s enormous success earned him a ton in royalties.
I remember all my life
Raining down as cold as ice
Shadows of a man
A face through a window
Crying in the night
The night goes into
[Verse 2]
Morning, just another day
Happy people pass my way
Looking in their eyes
I see a memory
I never realized
How happy you made me
[Chorus]
Oh, Mandy
Well, you came
And you gave without taking
But I sent you away
Oh, Mandy
Well, you kissed me
And stopped me from shaking
And I need you today
Oh, Mandy
[Verse 3]
I’m standing on the edge of time
I’ve walked away when love was mine
Caught up in a world
Of uphill climbing
The tears are in my eyes
And nothing is rhyming
[Chorus]
Oh, Mandy
Well, you came
And you gave without taking
But I sent you away
Oh, Mandy
Well, you kissed me
And stopped me from shaking
And I need you today
Oh, Mandy
[Bridge]
Yesterday’s a dream
I face the morning
Crying on a breeze
The pain is calling
[Chorus]
Oh, Mandy
Well, you came
And you gave without taking
But I sent you away
Oh, Mandy
Well, you kissed me
And stopped me from shaking
And I need you today
Oh, Mandy
[Outro]
Well, you came
And you gave without taking
But I sent you away
Oh, Mandy
Well, you kissed me
And stopped me from shaking
And I need you
Meet Me In Montauk 
I’ve always liked this song, and Manilow certainly improved it, including the addition of the bridge.